Interurban Transit Partnership

Slogan	Ride The Rapid
Founded	1963
Headquarters	300 Ellsworth SW
Locale	Grand Rapids, MI
Service area	Grand Rapids, East Grand Rapids, Grandville, Kentwood, Walker, Wyoming, Alpine Township, Byron Township, Gaines Township, Comstock Park
Service type	bus service, paratransit, bus rapid transit
Routes	23
Destinations	Vernon J. Ehlers Station, DeltaPlex, DeVos Place, Fulton St Market, Gerald Ford Airport, GRAM, John Ball Zoo, Van Andel Arena
Hubs	Rapid Central Station, Kentwood Station
Stations	33 Bus Rapid Transit
Fleet	129 Gillig Low Floor, Diesel Hybrid-Electric
Daily ridership	48,700 (1st Quarter 2015)[1]
Fuel type	Ultra-Low Sulfur Diesel, Diesel Hybrid-Electric
Operator	Interurban Transit Partnership-The Rapid
Chief executive	Peter Varga
Website	ridetherapid.org -

The Interurban Transit Partnership operates a public transit system called The Rapid, which provides bus service to the Grand Rapids, Michigan metropolitan area and beyond. The Rapid was recognized in 2004 by receipt from the American Public Transportation Association of an "Outstanding Public Transportation System Award".^[2]

Formed by the City of Grand Rapids in 1963 as the Grand Rapids Transit Authority, the system became a regional authority in July 1978 and was renamed the Grand Rapids Area Transit Authority, or GRATA. In January 2000, the ITP was formed, which soon adopted the moniker, The Rapid, as its branding.^[3]

Branding

In September 2006, The Rapid unveiled a new look for the buses to match the design of the Central Station platform which opened in 2004. The older red, blue and yellow striped buses will be replaced over the next few years with the new design, which features waves of white and blue.

A new website was launched shortly after the new buses were introduced. New features of the website include e-mail updates by route as well as other services, and the ability to buy passes online.

Service area

Aside from the City of Grand Rapids, the system also serves the cities of East Grand Rapids, Grandville, Kentwood, Walker, and Wyoming. Some routes extend into neighboring townships including Alpine Township (route 9), Byron Township (route 1), and Gaines Township (route 4).

Services

The Rapid operates 23 fixed bus routes, and special services for Grand Valley State University, Grand Rapids Community College and Ferris State University (see below).

Rapid Central Station

Address: 250 Grandville Ave SW

Coordinates:42°57′28″N 85°40′21″W / 42.95778°N 85.67250°W / 42.95778; -85.67250Coordinates: 42°57′28″N 85°40′21″W / 42.95778°N 85.67250°W / 42.95778; -85.67250

Facilities: Opened in June 2004, the transit center is the main downtown hub for the transit system. The facility is also used by Greyhound Lines and Indian Trails for bus services to destinations outside the city. The Rapid Central Station is the first LEED-NC certified building in the United States in the market of Mass Transit. More information is available at the U.S. Green Building Council of West Michigan page on the bus line's Central Station. DK Security is currently contracted as uniform security for the Central Station. As of October 27, 2014, the new Grand Rapids Amtrak station offers inter-modal transit connections, lying immediately south of the bus station.

Bus rapid transit

Silver Line

View of southbound Mercy Health Silver Line station across Jefferson Avenue, with Cathedral of St Andrew in the background.

Silver Line. a 9.1-mile (14.6 km) Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) line, was approved by voters in May 2012. On October 18, 2012, Federal Transit Administration Peter Rogoff visited The Rapid Central Station to sign a project construction grant agreement. Silver Line is the first bus rapid transit (BRT) line in the state of Michigan. The line runs from Central Station, loops downtown via the Medical Mile on Michigan Street and serves Division Avenue from Wealthy Street all the way to 60th Street where it terminates. The Silver Line had budgeted costs of $40 Million. $32 Million was covered by the Federal Transit Administration with the rest funded by the Michigan Department of Transportation (MDOT). Construction started in early 2013, was completed as scheduled during the middle of 2014 and was under budget by over $3 million. The Silver Line began service on August 25, 2014.

Laker Line

Laker Line is a proposed 13.1-mile (21.1 km) BRT line designed to ferry Grand Valley State University students between its main campus located in Allendale and Pew Campus in downtown Grand Rapids. The Rapid was awarded a $600,000 grant to study the feasibility of implementing BRT along the Lake Michigan Avenue corridor spanning the cities of Walker, Standale and Grand Rapids. Planners hope to have Laker Line operational by 2018. Funding will come from both federal and state sources. 14 stations will make up the line with 13 buses using dedicated lanes. Capital cost expected is $45.5 million which includes buses and stations. The expected annual operating cost is $3.8 million.

From August 31 2015, the standard bus route 50 - planned to be replaced by the Laker Line - changed its routing to follow the proposed BRT route as far as the Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences on Michigan/Lafayette.

Routes

Routes 1 through 16 and 18, along with the Silver Line BRT, stop at Rapid Central Station. Since changes to the DASH service on Sep 1 2016, the nearest DASH stop is now out of convenient range of the station. Outbound routes connect passengers to the four crosstown routes 19 (peak hours only), 24, 28, and 44.

Service times

Most buses operate seven days a week. Routes 3, 5, 12, 13, 14, 18, 24 and 44 do not operate on Sundays. Route 17 only runs weekdays. Route 19 only runs weekday peak times. Weekday service is from around 4.30-6am until after 11pm or midnight. Saturday service is between around 6am-9pm, Sundays are between around 7am-6pm.

To aid scheduling, some routes "interline". This means that a specific vehicle will serve multiple routes as part of its scheduled run by that driver. For example, on weekdays, route 7 arrives at Central Station and continues as the 15.

During the school year, additional routes are used to serve students in the Grand Rapids Public School (GRPS) district. As of October 2005, there is a GRPS shuttle to after school programs at the downtown David D. Hunting Branch of the YMCA.

Fares

Single fares are $1.75. Passengers can obtain transfer tickets for use on up to three additional routes over the following two hours. They may not be used on the same route twice. A single fare ticket issued on the BRT can be used as a transfer on other routes.

Ten-ride passes can be purchased. Transfers can also be requested for each time the ticket is stamped. Multiple passengers may use the same ten-ride card, stamping it once per passenger.

Period passes are also available, for one, seven and thirty-one days. These expire at midnight on the day of expiration, regardless of the time the pass is activated.

Reduced ten-ride tickets are available for school age children, valid with school ID. School transfers are only valid on one additional route and for only one hour. Elderly and disabled also have access to reduced fare ten-ride and 31-day passes, again with appropriate ID.^[5]

Children under 42" in height do not pay fare. A yellow stripe on the hand rail by the entrance denotes the height limit.

Contracted Services

DASH

The Rapid operates four bus routes on behalf of Grand Rapids, called Downtown Area Shuttle, or DASH. The routes are free to all passengers, and operate Mondays-Fridays, with the Hill DASH also operating Saturdays. DASH to the Hill, DASH West and DASH South are funded by City of Grand Rapids Parking Commission; DASH North is funded by Downtown Grand Rapids Inc and the North Monroe Business Association.

DASH routes were revamped in 2016. From September 1 the North DASH straightened its route along Monroe, rather than along Ottawa Avenue. The South route was effectively merged into the West DASH, covering the west side DASH lots, Pearl Street, via Division and Fulton to Ionia covering the Arena South lots, and then south to the Downtown Market and Wealthy Street Silver Line station. Service to the Cook-DeVos Center previously provided by the Hill DASH has long since been replaced by the rerouting route 50 along the planned Laker Line route.

Also as of September 1, the Silver Line is not subject to fare payment between Central Station and Wealthy Street, effectively making it part of the DASH network.

Grand Valley State University

All Grand Valley State University students, faculty, and staff can ride the buses for free. All others pay regular fare, except for route 51, which is a free DASH route.^[7] As of Summer 2009:

• Route 50 Campus Connector runs Monday-Friday from Kirkhof Center at the Allendale Campus to a bus stop under US-131 at Mount Vernon and Front at the Pew Grand Rapids Campus, and continues via a section of the Silver Line on Monroe and Michigan before terminating at Cook-DeVos Center for Health Sciences.^[8]
• Route 51 (Dash to the Hill) This service was removed on Sep 1 2016 having previously been defunded by GVSU due to route 50 serving CDC.
• Route 37 Off-Campus Apartment Shuttle runs weekdays through the Allendale campus to apartments on Lake Michigan Drive and 48th Ave. This route was broken up to form the new Routes 37 & 48. It previously went on Luce (Pierce St. until Fall 2006).
• Route 48 South Campus Express runs Monday through Thursday and Friday afternoon from Kirkhof Center to the South Apartments near 48th Ave. and Pierce St and back. It was new for Fall 2007.
• Route 85 Weekend Connector runs weekends connecting parts of routes 37 & 48.

Grand Rapids Community College

Grand Rapids Community College provides route number 60, a shuttle bus connecting the school's main campus with the nearby DeVos campus. Stops are located in front of Sneden Hall at the DeVos campus, and at Fountain and Bostwick at the main campus. The bus is free for GRCC students and employees, and runs Monday through Thursday during the Fall and Winter semesters.

Ferris State University

Ferris State University contracts with The Rapid of Grand Rapids to provide shuttle bus service from Grand Rapids to Big Rapids. The Rapid has assigned route number 100 entitled "Ferris State Express" for this route. The shuttle bus originates in downtown Grand Rapids at The Rapid's central station located at 250 Grandville Ave. SW. The route to and from Ferris' main campus in Big Rapids includes stops near Kendall College of Art and Design in Grand Rapids and the Cedar Springs Meijer (3700 17 Mile Road). Standard Rapid tickets are not valid on this route, special fares apply.

Davenport University

Route 49, the Davenport Express, served Davenport University from late 2005 to the beginning of the scholastic year 2010/11. When the bus service was in operation, it stopped at Central Station, the Davenport Fulton Street Campus, Centerpointe and Woodland malls, and the Davenport Lettinga Campus, Monday through Friday. However, upon closure of the Davenport University Fulton campus, Davenport University has since opted for a charter bus service, which the school outsources. This service is called the Davenport Shuttle and has a schedule based on student needs.^[9]

Additional services

Other services provided by the ITP include:

• Car and Vanpooling Assistance: for carpools, the service matches people who make arrangements based on similar work schedules and travel patterns. For vanpools, employees can use The Rapid minivans to get to work.
• County Connection: provides transportation in all of Kent County, Michigan.
• GO!Bus: provides transportation for those with disabilities.
• Grand Rapids Air Porter: a new service as of January 2006. This shuttle runs between the Gerald R. Ford International Airport and several hotels in downtown Grand Rapids.
• PASS: curb-to-curb service. Provides transportation into specific neighborhoods where there is low concentration of bus routes.

Future services

The Rapid has announced a new vision for new services to be in place by the year 2030. Proposed Services include a downtown streetcar system, Bus Rapid Transit along Lake Michigan Drive, expanded routes to Byron Center and eastern Ottawa County's Georgetown Township and the city of Hudsonville. A regional express bus service is also under consideration that would provide shuttle service from outlying areas into downtown Grand Rapids.^[10]

References

External links

• Ride The Rapid (official site)
• The Rapid Facebook
• The Rapid Twitter
• The Rapid YouTube
• GreenRide Carpooling
• City of Grand Rapids DASH
• USGB of West Michigan
• ITP Watch - A taxpayer organization that takes a critical look at the ITP's operations